


stunted

by FcrestNymph



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I didn't like Lightning's sudden shift in character so, I fixed it to what I think it should've been
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 14:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17830508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FcrestNymph/pseuds/FcrestNymph
Summary: Scootaloo wanted so badly to be a Washout, to be a pegasus who people cheered for, rather than one they pitied. But was this a good idea? Was this truly worth it?[Mentor!Lightning Dust and Terrified!Scootaloo]





	stunted

Scootaloo teetered on top of the steep hill, her hooves shaking despite them being firmly planted on the handlebars of her scooter. This was stupid, it really and truly was. She wanted to be a Washout, she didn’t want to  _ die _ !

In the distance, carried enough to be barely audible on the wind, she heard Miss Dust’s recorded voice shout her name--Or rather, her alias, over a loudspeaker.

“Put your hooves together...for  _ Half-Pint Dynamite _ !”

The crowd went wild, and Scootaloo gulped. This was insane, it was stupid, she would  _ never  _ land this jump! Or what if she  _ did  _ land it, just painfully? What if she landed with a loud thud and crunch on the ground in front of hundreds of spectators? What if her rocket-propelled scooter went haywire? What if the duct tape holding it together--Dear Celestia,  _ duct tape! _ \--snapped? What if--

“You ready there, kid?

Scootaloo jumped, the sudden jolt nearly pushing her scooter forward, down the hill, to her death--”Y-yes!” She squeakily exclaimed. “Yes, I--Mhm!” She took a shaky breath. “I--I actually founded the first Washouts fanclub, miss! Did you--No, of course you didn’t know that, I wouldn’t expect you to. So this is a real honour, ma’am! Um--Do I call you ma’am?”

“You land this jump, kiddo, and you can call me whatever you want.”

Scootaloo glanced down the hill, down the path that her scooter would very soon be taking. “Wow, um...This looks--”

“Dangerous?” Lightning Dust interrupted, an almost manic smile on her face when Scootaloo looked over at her. “Nah, it’s---” She paused, thinking. “Well, maybe a bit.” She grabbed a roll of duct tape from the ground nearby and--Oh Celestia, where did she just get that rocket from? Had it been hiding in the bushes?

Scootaloo gaped as Lightning Dust began taping the rocket onto the foal’s already explosive scooter. “There’s  _ more _ ?! Has anyone  _ tested  _ this before?!”

“Nope! Where’s the fun in that?” Lightning grinned, looking over and locking eyes with the terrified filly. She paused and her excitedly spread wings lowered ever so slightly. “You okay, kid?”

“Yes!” Scootaloo squeaked. “I’m just thinking about drinking through a straw!” Her voice cracked, jumping to a high pitch without her permission. She cleared her throat and swallowed. “In a f-full body hoof and wing cast…”

“Are you  _ rethinking  _ this?”

Scootaloo turned to stare down the hill again, she tried to make her body stop shaking. Tried, and failed. “N-no…”

“Hey, you.” Lightning Dust’s voice was suddenly hard, sharp. “ _ Look at me _ .”

Scootaloo struggled for a moment to look away from the steep drop, but then she obeyed. Lightning’s eyes were narrowed, wings stiff and tense. She took a step forward, Scootaloo wanted to take a step back.

“I’m gonna ask you again, Scootaloo.  _ Are you rethinking this _ ?”

Scootaloo couldn’t blink, couldn’t breathe, she was just frozen still, with terror in her chest and--Oh dear Celestia, was she going to  _ cry _ ? “I…” She hiccuped. “I--”

“Oh for f--” Lightning’s expression became hard as flint, and Scootaloo was suddenly grabbed and yanked off of her scooter. She pulled Scootaloo against her chest, her strong wings wrapping around the little filly. “Kid, you’re shaking.”

“No I-I’m n--I-I’m no--”

“Yes you  _ are _ , don’t lie to me.”

Scootaloo hiccuped, ducking her head against the mare’s chest. “I--”

“Shush.” Lightning set her chin on the top of Scootaloo’s head and took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “Just shush, kid.” She was quiet as Scootaloo let out a sob. Her ear pricked as a new voice came from the distance, her second in command introducing a few new tricks to fill the silence, no doubt making up for ‘Half-Pint Dynamite’ not showing up.

Lightning Dust didn’t speak for a few minutes. Scootaloo tried to, but she only managed a few syllables before breaking off into hiccups, sniffles or a deep sob. The mare nuzzled her nose against Scootaloo’s mane before breaking the silence.

“You aren’t doing this stunt.”

Scootaloo jerked, an argument halfway out of her mouth before she was silenced with a sharp “Shh!”. Lightning rubbed at Scootaloo’s back with one of the wings that were hugging the tiny filly. “I’m sorry, kid. I should’ve realized this was too intense for a first time,  _ especially  _ for a foal.”

“M-Ma’am--”

“Do you  _ want  _ to do this stunt?”

Silence. Scootaloo shifted a bit closer in Lightning Dust’s chest fur.

“Didn’t think so. Half-Pint can be introduced at our next show, alright? I should’ve realized…” She was quiet for a moment. “Alright, listen. I wasn’t the best at stunts when I was a kid. I mean, I did them constantly, but I was  _ always  _ getting hurt. I kinda forget that most fillies aren’t up for that.”

“I’m up for…” Scootaloo tried, but she trailed off.

“Drinking from a straw? In a full wing and hoof cast? Nah, kid, you’re not a big filly yet. Soon, but not yet. That was my failure as a captain, not realizing that. You don’t need to do these stunts, you know that?”

Scootaloo hesitated. “I don’t…?”

“Nah, ‘course you don’t. If I suggest a stunt,  _ you can say no _ . You won’t be kicked from the Washouts, you won’t be punished. There’s no shame, little filly. Being a Washout doesn’t mean giving up the ability to have a  _ choice _ . That’s literally why we were made, to give ponies the chance to do what  _ they  _ want, not what they’re  _ told  _ to want. You can say no.” She nuzzled again at Scootaloo’s mane. “I thought the leader of my fan club would know that.”

“I do!” Scootaloo said, her voice soft but determined. “I do, I just--I didn’t want to...To, um…”

“To what?”

Scootaloo ducked her head. Quietly, almost too quiet to hear, she spoke. “To disappoint you, ma’am.”

Lightning Dust let out a laugh, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane with her nose. “You’d disappoint me by not making your own choices, kiddo.” She straightened up, pulling her wings back to her sides. “Now go down the hill, alright?” She said. 

“The way you walked up,  _ not  _ on the rocket.” She quickly added at Scootaloo’s expression of horror.

“Oh, um...Okay. What about you, ma’am?”

“I’m gonna dismantle this scooter. Go on, you can watch the rest of the show.” Lightning Dust smiled at the tiny filly. “I’ll be right down, Scootaloo.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't often post my MLP fics, but...Here we are! I really didn't like how they portrayed Lightning Dust in the Washouts episode, so I redid it to what it probably should have been. Lightning wasn't cruel, for gods sake, she was bold.


End file.
